Yay I got my new computer! But who cares about that. I must warn you guys, though. Chapter fifteen is the final chapter (and yes, I am still refusing to write a smut scene) and then I have an epilogue but that's it. However, there will be a sequel! But it's coming up once I work on my other stuff a bit, because you guys have been my top priority. (Seriously, I was about to put another story on official hiatus until this was done.) I will give you an update when chapter one of that is up, though, if you didn't want to follow me for a month without reading anything by me and just waiting or whatever. I know I said a week but chapter fiteen is finished and the epilogue is almost finished so two updates in one day!

"Bloody hell, Lily, you're seriously still up here? Put on your shirt and come down for breakfast already."

Lily blinked in the sudden light from the corridor. "Dom?"

"Yes, it's me, Dominique, your cousin," Dom replied.

"Don't forget 'bitch,'" muttered Lily.

"Yes, I'm a bitch. And I'm sorry. If I'd known you actually liked him -"

"I didn't."

"Well you obviously do now, so whatever."

"Wait... You knew he liked me, didn't you! This was just some stupid thing to set me up with him, wasn't it! You bitch!"

Dominique's shoulders slumped. "Well, yeah, technically," she admitted.

"But then... Why couldn't you know about us? Does he know? Did you tell him?"

Dominique hesitated. "...No..."

"He knows about this stupid dare, doesn't he?" Lily practically shouted.

"Bloody hell, don't wake the whole school! And no, he doesn't. You can ask him yourself, he doesn't know a single thing! This was just a favor for him. Like a present."

"Oh, so you decided to get him laid for his birthday gift?"

"Kind of."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Now that I know about your ulterior motives, will you call this thing off?"

"Look, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be stabbing all my friends in the back and making their lives more difficult than they have to be, but..."

"Wait, what?"

"Nothing." Dom shook her head. "Just forget that. Anyways, no."

"But - but you literally just said you shouldn't be making your friends' lives more difficult -"

"I know. I know I said that." Dominique's evil grin returned to her face, wiping away the apologetic look that had previously occupied the same space. "But you have to understand. I can't just back down."

"What, that stupid Slytherin pride keeping you from giving up?"

"Like you've never done the same. Now, I brought your robes and bag up so we wouldn't have to run down to the dungeons again before class. Hurry up, breakfast is almost over and you don't want to be late to class."

"Please open your books to page one hundred seventy-two!" Professor Slughorn called out as the last of the students filed into the Potions classroom. With a flick of his wand, the doors shut themselves. "Today you will begin brewing a Strengthening Solution. Remember to follow the instructions carefully. If your potion is not emerald green by the time you have finished the first stage at the end of class, you have brewed it incorrectly, and it will not turn turquoise when it is finished. Fear not, though, for should yours turn a different shade of green, there is an extra step that may be able to salvage your potion. Now, get to work!"

Slughorn finished his instructions and the class scrambled to gather their ingredients.

Lily flipped through the pages of her Potions book.

"I need to grab some ingredients from the stores." Dominique lifted herself from her seat next to Lily. "Need anything?"

"Just a second. Let me see."

Page one fifty-four. One sixty-eight. One seventy-one. She turned the last page. An all-too-familiar scrap of folded parchment slid down onto her lap. She stared at it.

"Lily? Are you planning on answering me, or are you just going to sit there and stare at your book?"

"Um, yeah, just... Some salamander blood. Thanks, Dom." She smiled up at her cousin, hoping the blonde was fooled and didn't notice the note.

Another note? she thought as she retrieved the other items she needed from her own personal store. But... We're over. He said so himself. No. I'm overthinking it. I only have Potions on Thursdays, maybe he just hid this one on Tuesday or something. Something planned for tonight or tomorrow. But, two nights in one week? Plus Saturday? He wouldn't do two days in a row, would he? Unless I'm getting an explanation. But then, how did he get it here without Dom or anyone seeing?

"Is everything okay, Lily?" Cassie's voice broke her out of her train of thought. She looked across the table at her best friend. "You've just been staring down at your lap for a while now. I'm sorry if you were thinking or something and I've made you forget."

"What? Oh, no, it's nothing. Just... spaced out a bit."

"Oh, of course. I see you've made up with Dominique? I take it you've moved on from the whole 'Scorpius' thing, then?"

"Yeah... Moved on..." Lily echoed.

"Well, you better get started on your potion. If you wait any longer you'll only just have enough time to get your potion to turn emerald green by the look of the instructions. And I'd think it would be a terrible inconvenience to have to add an extra step just because it isn't perfect."

"Yeah... Get started..." She spoke as though she were in a trance.

"Lily, are you sure you're okay? You seem a bit out of it. If you're not feeling well, you could head up to Madam Pomfrey. I'm sure Slughorn would excuse you and let you brew the first part of your potion at a later time."

Lily shook herself gently. "No, I'm fine. Sorry, just a bit spacey. Having a hard time focussing."

"Is it Scorpius?" Cas asked in a hushed voice, her eyes wide with concern.

"No, no, nothing to do with Scorpius." Yeah. Just because there's a piece of paper in my book doesn't mean it has anything to do with Scorpius. It could be something someone left there when they looked at it in Flourish and Blotts. And it just so happened that it was on the page we would be working with today. Coincidence. It probably isn't for me. She picked it up. But it couldn't hurt to check...

There were three words. Astronomy Tower. Tonight. Not even a time. It had to be for her. The question was, should she go? If it had been left before last night, then she could always leave after he didn't show. If it was left after last night, then it could be for him to explain himself. But, what if Scorpius didn't even leave the note? What if Dom laid a trap for her? Of course, what would Dom have against Lily at this point?

It was then, as Lily Potter sat in the dungeon classroom, that she decided she would be at the Astronomy Tower at 11:30 that night, before the large Hogwart's clock had even struck ten.